I love and respect Bob Dylan. But... Dylan was a non factor for most of these shows and it sure looked like they had had it with him in Foxboro! He looked (and sounded) like he was cocked. Worst shows in the dozens and dozens I saw. I am not rating this Oakland show. I was not there.

Dylan and Dead is an acquired taste for sure but once you get it into your system Dylan draws you in and every once in awhile he just absolutely finds the sweet spot and blows everyone present completely away.
i was at the Philly show at the beginning of this tour and to say it was pretty rough around the edges is an understatement. Overall this is a much more together set than the Philly show. The Dead are certainly grooving and Dylan although ever elusive is much more front and center here.

Dylans's got the boys all fired up tonite

of all places, I'd really not expect fans of the Grateful Dead to criticize Bob Dylan & his "sound" or "style"....In a couple posts I read that he a) was out of tune & b) the most intoxicated of any in attendance....WTF? DYlan is Dylan, he always was a bit different in his tone & style than any other performer I've come across in my 35+ yrs of show-going. And if the criticisms come from any true "deadhead"....c'mon, we know and love a band who've made plenty of mistakes, had off nights, forgotten lyrics, missed musical transitions, etc. etc....Don't get me wrong, I love the GRateful Dead & their music & interpretations...and I also accept and have appreciated them for what they could give "us" on any given night.
IF you dont like Bob Dylan or his style/sound/songs/voice, whatever. If you dont get it, thats understandable & that's totally cool. but to criticize his musicianship & professionalism by listening to a recording is just WRONG

my 2 cents.

Was at this show and at Anaheim 2 nights later, and yes, they were awesome (that's a word we used a lot back in the 80s). These shows demonstrate what an amazing backup band the Dead were. Further proof can be found on the Internet (Archive). Look for the New Year show where Etta James sings Midnight Hour and (Turn On Your) Lovelight (along with the Tower of Power horns) or any Pigpen rap where the boys are churning and vamping like a well-oiled machine behind him. Or any number of other guest singer appearances like Spencer Davis at the LA Forum in February and December of '89.

We saw the pedal steel guitar on stage and didn't think much of it 'til Jerry sat down behind it for the Baby Tonight and didn't see it there at Anaheim. It was premeditated!!

A very nice Highway 61 done as a slower shuffle instead of the slightly off-kilter, speedy album version and some nice regular 6 string slide work from Jerry.

Try telling people that "Mr. Jones" is actually called 'Ballad of a Thin Man' and watch them amend their set list to "Ballet of a Thin Man" and sigh heavily as you offer them the definition of ballad (did i stutter? Do I have some sort of inexplicable accent that turns a voiced consonant into a vowel? Do you think ballet is pronounced with a consonant at the end?). Also consider that this was YEARS before Counting Crows "Mister Jones".

These shows were done near the start one of the 4 best eras of live Dead ever* and coming on the heels of Dylan's revitalization after touring with Tom Petty breathed new life into both Dylan and the Dead.


*in order:
1.) 1969-spring 1970
2.) Academy of Music Europe send-off shows 1972-"last ever" October 1974
3.) 1977 (All of it, you can not find a bad show in 1977 (I dare you)}.
4.) December '86-Brent's "departure" 1990.

I mean, MAJOR Props to Mr. Dylan, (having written some of the *greatest* lyrics of our, or anyone else's generation. "Watchtower" alone is the stuff of unspeakable greatness...)

But during this particular performance. Um. Is he even on the same planet with the rest of us ?

Being the most F'd-up artist at a GDead gig is quite an accomplishment, to say the least.

That being said, I still would have loved to have been there. :-)

Top notch Dylan/dead show! It is apparent to me that they really get cooking beginning with I Want You and continue through the rest of the set.

kept the dead on there toes when playing may sound sloppy/gritty/loose... but a magical time in history: those guys on stage.... why complain

Yes, Dylan is Dylan, but I think he sounds pretty in tune and on target in comparison to many other performances I have heard. Also, on Baby Blue he sounds really alive and creative in his vocals, really nice. The band sounds tight and rocking, this is a great D&D show. Jerry's steel/slide is a nice add too.

Dylan sounds like Dylan (but, of course, not young Bobby Dylan), but I love it. Raw and gritty. Plus, the Dead sound great. A treat to hear Jerry on pedal steel. I'd give a great deal to have been able to see this.

yikes! the GD sound great, but Dylan is SO out of tune the entire performance. I give the GD 5 stars, but Dylan 0. I Never did like when he performed his own songs.

This might be the highest quality of all the Dylan/Dead uploads lurking around. Much, much, thanks.